By Becky Walz,
Those set to represent Decorah in the Class 2A state meet this week are (l-r) Gavin Knutson (106), Brody Hanson (157), William Fullhart (144), Mason Avila (132), Tommy Sexton (190), Will Larson (138) and Kollin Henry (150). (Photo courtesy of Jenn Henry)
The big stage at Wells Fargo Arena will see 12 wrestlers from Winneshiek County vying for a state title.
When all was said and done Saturday, the Decorah boys’ wrestling team had qualified seven for the state meet tying for the most ever to represent the Vikings in Des Moines, while South Winn fans saw five earn state bids.
Next up, the opportunity to wrestle in front of the crowds at the state wrestling tournament, which runs Wednesday, Feb. 14 through Saturday, Feb. 17, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Record-tying Vikes
Mason Avila and Tommy Sexton won district titles while Gavin Knutson, Will Larson, William Fullhart, Kollin Henry and Brody Hanson finished second to punch their tickets to the big meet in Des Moines.
A quarterfinal bye at 132 pounds sent seventh-ranked Mason Avila directly into the semifinals where the sophomore earned a 14-3 major decision win over Abram Wessels of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows. It was a second major decision for the sophomore in the finals as he punched his second straight ticket to the state tournament by a 14-4 decision over Independence’s Kameron Kremer.
Another sophomore, No. 7 Tommy Sexton collected a 17-2 tech fall over Landon Duffy of Independence in 4:07 to win the quarterfinal round. Then it was on to the semifinals where he did battle with No. 11 Johnathan Edel of East Marshall/GMG, winning 7-0. Sexton claimed victory at 190 pounds and his first trip to state in the finals 6-3 over Cael Burmester of Hampton-Dumont-CAL.
After a quarterfinal bye, No. 11 Gavin Knutson threw Lucas Ennis of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in just 26 seconds, but it was sixth-ranked Coy Mehlert of Union that won the 106-pound finals, pinning the Viking freshman in 2:36. That set up a necessary wrestle back for Knutson against Independence’s Adam Fish for true second place, with the Decorah grappler coming out on top 6-2 to earn a state bid.
At 138 pounds, Larson had a quarterfinal bye as well with his first match against Jacob Mahler of Hampton-Dumont-CAL in the semifinal. The Decorah grappler picked up the win in 2:35 to move on against fifth-ranked Kaden Kremer of Independence where Larson dropped the match by a 12-8 decision. Having already bested Mahler there was no need for Larson to wrestle back, earning second and a trip to Des Moines.
Freshman Will Fullhart also finished runner-up at 144 pounds without the need for a wrestle back as the 11th-ranked Viking threw Jaxen Engstrom of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in 1:31 to move to the semifinal against Keegan Ellsworth of Union. It was a 9-5 decision for Fullhart over Ellsworth to set up a final between the Viking and No. 2 Tyler Wieland of Independence. In a back-and-forth battle, Fullhart fell short in the 8-7 decision and took second by no contest over Ellsworth.
Wrestling at 150 pounds, Kollin Henry punched his first trip to state that began with a fall in the quarterfinal over Cooper Nosbush of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in 1:19. The senior then earned the semifinal win by 8-5 decision over Oelwein’s Regan McKeeman, eventually falling to Union’s Caleb Olson, who is ranked second, in 1:13 in the championship bout. In Henry’s wrestle back against Beau Towne of BCLUW-SH, the Viking capped off the day with a pin in 1:09 to advance to Wells Fargo Arena later this week.
It took 10th-ranked Brody Hanson five matches to earn his inaugural trip to state at 157 pounds. In the quarterfinal, Hanson pinned Wyatt Guiles of BCLUW-SH in 1:21. However, it was a 9-7 overtime loss for the Viking in the semifinal against No. 12 Taylor Mahler of Hampton-Dumont-CAL. In the consolation semifinal, Hanson picked up his second fall of the day in 2:57 over Ian Soesbe of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows. He then earned a wrestle back after throwing Union’s Brock Bergmeier in the third-place match in 3:01, earning a wrestle back for true second against Christopher Meyer of Independence. In the true-second place match it came down to the wire for Hanson as he got a late takedown to win 8-5.
Multiples for Warriors
As a team, South Winn finished fourth at the Class 1A District 1 meet in Denver with 133 points, advancing five to the state meet.
First up was senior lightweight Aiden Feickert at 113 pounds who turned Mack Arnold of North Linn in 22 seconds. In the semifinal, the 12th-ranked Warrior grappler got the fall in 1:25 over Wapsie Valley’s Sawyer Krall before falling to Gavin Landers of Denver in the finals in 1:51. Needing a wrestle back to earn his first state bid, Feickert found a way to throw Hudson’s Mason Fogt in 1:10 and keep his season alive.
Returning state runner-up Collin Holm will be back at Wells Fargo Arena after Saturday’s action. The senior threw Ed-Co’s Colt Kelzer in 53 seconds to win the quarterfinal and pinned Steven Roling of Beckman in 38 seconds. Throughout the season, the third-ranked Holm and Denver’s second-ranked Boden White had each defeated each other once and the rubber match came in the finals at 144 pounds with White escaping with a 3-1 victory. Forced into a wrestle back position, Holm didn’t take long to throw Don Bosco’s Aiden Hellman, winning in 1:01.
At 150 pounds, Landen Schnuelle had a battle to punch his ticket. The sophomore threw Wesly Brandt of Tripoli in 3:25 to open the day in the quarterfinals, then pinned Blake Taylor of Hudson in 3:51 in the semifinals. In the championship bout, Schnuelle couldn’t get on the offensive as he fell by 11-2 major decision to No. 10 Easton Krall of Wapsie Valley. Needing a win in the wrestle back, Schnuelle was on target against Ty Christensen of Don Bosco, winning by a 7-0 decision.
No. 11 Kyle Kuboushek will make his second trip to the big stage, qualifying at 165 pounds. The sophomore began his quest with a fall in 2:43 over Springville’s Ryker Waggoner. Then in a match for the ages, Kuboushek squared off with 10th-ranked Garrett Miller of Wapsie Valley, escaping with the victory in overtime 3-1. Don Bosco’s third-ranked Andrew Kimball got Kuboushek turned in 25 seconds in the final; however, with the Warriors’ win over Miller in the semifinal Kuboushek took second without a wrestle back.
For the second time in his career, senior Parker Timp will see action on the mats at state. He punched a ticket with a fall in the semifinal against Donavon Farrell of Denver in 3:30. No. 5 Kyler Sallis of Don Bosco got Timp on his back in 2:43 in the finals, but Farrell’s third-place win gave Timp outright second without a need for a wrestle back.
State schedule
The individual tournament is Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 14-17, in Des Moines.
The tournament schedule is:
Wednesday, Feb. 14 — Class 2A first round, second round and first round consolations, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Class 3A first round, second round and first round consolations, 1:30-5 p.m.; Class 1A first round, second round and first round consolations, 6-9:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 15 – Class 2A second round consolations, quarterfinals and third round consolations, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Class 3A second round consolations, quarterfinals and third round consolations, 1:30-5 p.m.; Class 1A second round consolations, quarterfinals and third round consolations, 6-9:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 16 — Class 2A fourth round consolations, semifinals and fifth round consolations, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; Class 3A, 1:30-4:30 p.m.; Class 1A fourth round consolations, semifinals and fifth round consolations, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17 — Class 2A, 3A, 1A consolation semifinals and finals, 9 a.m.-2:15 p.m.; IWCOA, IHSADA & IHSAA awards, 5:15 p.m.; grand march and finals for all classes, 5:30 p.m.
Class 2A District 5 team scores
1. Hampton-Dumont-CAL 183.5; 2. Independence 181.5; 3. Union 166; 4. Decorah 155; 5. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows 123; 6. East Marshall/GMG 56; 7. BCLUW-SH 41; 8. Oelwein 31
Decorah individual results
106 – Gavin Knutson, 2nd place
Quarters – bye; Semis – WBF on 0:26 over Lucas Ennis (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows); Final – LBF in 2:36 to Coy Mehlert (Union); 2nd place – won 6-2 decision over Adam Fish (Independence)
113 – Kelton Casterton, DNP
Quarters – lost 15-6 maj. dec. to Zach Homan (Independence); Cons. rd. 1 – WBF in 0:53 over Hayden Boles (East Marshall/GMG); Cons. semi – LBF in 0:28 to Lucas Cayler (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows)
120 – D’mtry Lesser, DNP
Quarters – LBF in 3:32 to Will Varrelmann (Hampton-Dumont-CAL); Cons. rd. 1 – bye; Cons. semi – LBF in 1:58 to Jordan Meling (East Marshall/GMG)
126 – Michael Clement, DNP
Quarters – WBF in 4:57 over Kolton Hefti (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows); Semi – LBF in 0:23 to Jace Hedeman (Union); Cons. semi – lost 12-6 dec. to Xavier Slifer (East Marshall/GMG)
132 – Mason Avila, 1st place
Quarters – bye; Semi – won 14-3 maj. dec. over Abram Wessels (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows); Final – won 14-4 maj. dec. over Kameron Kremer (Independence)
138 – Will Larson, 2nd place
Quarters – bye; Semi – WBF in 2:35 over Jacob Mahler (Hampton-Dumont-CAL); Final – lost 12-8 dec. to Kaden Kremer (Independence); 2nd place – no contest win over Jacob Mahler (Hampton-Dumont-CAL)
144 – William Fullhart, 2nd place
Quarters – WBF in 1:31 over Jaxon Engstrom (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows); Semi – won 9-5 dec. over Keegan Ellsworth (Union); Final – lost 8-7 dec. to Tyler Wieland (Independence); 2nd place – no contest win over Keegan Ellsworth (Union)
150 – Kollin Henry, 2nd place
Quarters – WBF in 1:19 over Cooper Nosbush (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows); Semi – won 8-5 dec. over Regan McKeeman (Oelwein); Final – LBF in 1:13 to Caleb Olson (Union); 2nd place – WBF in 1:09 over Beau Towne (BCLUW-SH)
157 – Brody Hanson, 2nd place
Quarters – WBF in 1:21 over Wyatt Guiles (BCLUW-SH); Semi – lost 9-7 OT to Taylor Mahler (Hampton-Dumont-CAL); Cons. semi – WBF in 2:57 over Ian Soesbe (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows); 3rd place – WBF in 3:01 over Brock Bergmeier (Union); 2nd place – won 8-5 dec. over Christopher Meyer (Independence)
165 – Bradan Darling, DNP
Quarters – LBF in 1:37 to Luke Johnson (Independence); Cons. rd. 1 – WBF in 0:32 over Cooper Reisner (Oelwein); Cons. semi – LBF in 1:39 to Colin Bird (Hampton-Dumont-CAL)
190 – Tommy Sexton, 1st place
Quarters – won 17-2 tech fall in 4:07 over Landon Duffy (Independence); Semi – won 7-0 dec. over Johnathan Edel (East Marshall/GMG); Final – won 6-3 dec. over Cael Burmester (Hampton-Dumont-CAL)
215 – Kaiden Youngblood, 4th place
Quarters – WBF in 3:36 over Nolan Lamphier (Oelwein); Semi – LBF in 1:37 to Ashtin Willms (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows); Cons. semi – won 19-2 tech fall in 6:00 over Gable Eddy (Independence); 3rd place – LBF in 1:40 to Nolan Lamphier (Oelwein)
285 – Anthony Putnam, 4th place
Quarters – won 5-1 dec. over Spencer Michels (Oelwein); Semi – LBF in 0:53 to Carter Heilskov (Hampton-Dumont-CAL); Cons. semi – WBF in 3:01 over Alex Bautista (East Marshall/GMG); 3rd place – LBF in 4:00 to Sean May (BCLUW-SH)
Class 1A District 1 team scores
1. Don Bosco 258; 2. Denver 196; 3. Wapsie Valley 192; 4. South Winn 133; 5. Hudson 52; 6. North Linn 45; 7. Beckman Catholic 44; 8. Edgewood-Colesburg 34; 9. Springville 13; 10. Tripoli 8
South Winn individual results
106 – Gavin Thuente, DNP
Quarters – lost 9-3 dec. to Jacob Rauch (North Linn); Cons. rd. 1 – bye; Cons. semi – LBF in 1:55 to Cannen Beaumont (Denver)
113 – Aiden Feickert, 2nd place
Quarters – WBF in 0:22 over Mack Arnold (North Linn); Semi – WBF in 1:25 over Sawyer Krall (Wapsie Valley); Final – LBF in 1:51 to Gavin Landers (Denver); 2nd place – WBF in 1:10 over Mason Fogt (Hudson)
126 – Jamison Zweibahmer, 3rd place
Quarters – WBF in 0:26 over Jamison Buskohl (Hudson); Semi – Lost 6-0 dec. to Jaxon Larson (Don Bosco); Cons. semi – WBF in 1:08 over Cooper Brown (Ed-Co); 3rd place – WBF in 2:35 over Riley Brandt (Denver); 2nd place – LBF in 1:39 to Brody Kleitsch (Wapsie Valley)
132 – Bo Wangsness, 3rd place
Quarters – bye; Semi – lost 8-5 dec. to Jackson Colsch (Hudson); Cons. semi – WBF in 1:16 over Nolan Gaul (Ed-Co); 3rd place – WBF in 3:16 over Vincent McLaughlin (Denver); 2nd place – lost no contest to Jackson Colsch (Hudson)
138 – Parker Dahl, DNP
Rd. 1 – LBF in 2:59 to Bryce Matt (Tripoli)
144 – Collin Holm, 2nd place
Quarters – WBF in 0:53 over Colt Kelzer (Ed-Co); Semi – WF in 0:38 over Steven Roling (Beckman); Final – lost 3-1 dec. to Boden White (Denver); 2nd place – WBF in 1:01 over Aiden Hellman (Don Bosco)
150 – Landen Schnuelle, 2nd place
Quarters – WBF in 3:25 over Wesly Brandt (Tripoli); Semi – WBF in 3:51 over Blake Taylor (Hudson); Final – lost 11-2 maj. dec. to Easton Krall (Wapsie Valley); 2nd place – won 7-0 dec. over Ty Christensen (Don Bosco)
157 – Brady Ohrt, 4th place
Quarters – WBF in 3:57 over Cam Seible (Hudson); Semi – lost 17-2 tech fell in 4:27 to Kyler Knaack (Don Bosco); Cons. semi – won 8-4 dec. over Ethan Gaul (Ed-Co); 3rd place – LBF in 3:14 to Braven Beaumont (Denver)
165 – Kyle Kuboushek, 2nd place
Quarters – WBF in 2:43 over Ryker Waggoner (Springville); Semi – won 3-1 sudden victory over Garrett Miller (Wapsie Valley); Final – LBF in 0:25 to Andrew Kimball (Don Bosco); 2nd place – won no contest over Garrett Miller (Wapsie Valley)
175 – Quinn Huinker, DNP
Quarters – LBF in 0:47 to Cody Hageman (Beckman); Cons. rd. 1 – LBF in 4:56 to Luke Lansing (Springville)
215 – Parker Timp, 2nd place
Quarters – bye; Semi – WBF in 3:30 over Donavan Farrell (Denver); Final – LBF in 2:43 to Kyler Sallis (Don Bosco); 2nd place – won no contest over Donavon Farrell (Denver)
285 – Kolton Brummond, DNP
Quarters – LBF in 1:09 to Lane Sommerfelt (North Linn); Cons. rd. 1 – WBF in 5:09 over Connor Davis (Ed-Co); Cons. semi – LBF in 2:20 to Hudson Ortner (Don Bosco)
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